Despite its straightforward title, “White, Black and Blue” is anything but.
Silverthorne Theater Company’s latest production, about a young black man who kicks in the door on an older white man following a confrontation with an off-duty cop, “is very complex and intense,” said Silverthorne’s artistic director, Lucinda Kidder.
When the cop arrives and the three lives — representing white, black and blue — are thrown together, the life-and-death stalemate that results brings up issues of race, trust, responsibility and last straws in this new play by Steve Henderson and Will Chalmus, which echoes recent news accounts of racial tensions that persist in America.
Yet, although a tightly written drama, “White, Black and Blue” also has plenty of funny moments, Kidder said.
It opens Thursday and plays through Saturday, and again July 26, 27 and 28, all at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances are at Hawks & Reed Performing Art Center in Greenfield.
Silverthorne continues to confront critical contemporary issues in society, including through its recent staging of “The Road to Mecca” about curtailing the freedom and creative life of an older woman by condemning her work as idolatrous. Even the original musical comedy, “Tar2f,” based on Moliere’s play, dealt with religious hypocrisy, Kidder said.
“These are all pretty provocative,” said Kidder, adding that an important feature is the talk-back with the playwrights after each performance. “Theater is a great way to put these issues into a context where we can talk about them.”
Henderson, a Westfield actor and playwright, has written plays for many theater companies including “Jerry and Ed,” which Silverthorne produced several years ago. He’s also played roles in its productions of “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged),” “Aidan’s Gift” and “The Miser.”
“I was very concerned about the police shootings of black men,” said Henderson about his inspiration for the play. “I just had the kernel of an idea for the play, and I knew I couldn’t write the character of a black male with authenticity,” even though the character of the older white man, who’s an academic, “he reminds me of myself.”
So Henderson reached out to Chalmus, a Brandeis theater professor, a teaching fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a poet and a hip-hop artist, who Henderson had met doing improvisational “playback theater.”
“The creative experience, if not the best, it was one of the best creative experiences of my lifetime,” Henderson recalled. “It was intense at the time. We argued about everything … about wording and the arc (of the play.)”
Chalmus said that as he began writing with Henderson, “We noticed how often our life experiences, cultural perspectives and implicit biases would lead us to disagree and misunderstand each other’s style and intent. It became our mission to include as many of these discrepancies into the script as possible. After all, why create imaginary conflict when we are actually living it?”
“Sometimes art serves as a tool that creates a beautiful product,” Chalmus continued. “Other times, the artistic process alone is the product. My biggest desire is for ‘White, Black and Blue’ to encompass both concepts, and to offer insights into how we might consider addressing deep-seeded societal problems that are seemingly unchanging.”
Based on Silverthorne’s handling of this premiere production, he said, “I am confident this play could do just that.”
The play, directed by Keith Langsdale, received its first public reading at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield in 2016. Actors include: Sam Rush as Joe Renshaw, Daniel Rios as Walter Jones and R. Steve Pierce as Officer Lou Rankin.
After “White, Black and Blue,” Silverthorne’s final production of the season, “Delectable Durang,” begins Sept. 27. “Delectable Durang” is a collection of six one-act comedies by offbeat playwright Christopher Durang.
Silverthorne also plans on reprising its radio play version of “A Christmas Carol” this winter at Hawks & Reed, as well as at Northfield’s Centennial House and the Deerfield Inn.
Tickets for “White, Black and Blue” may be purchased online through Eventbrite.com or by calling the Silverthorne Box Office at 413-768-7514. Discounted tickets are available at World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield and Broadside Books in Northampton.
Senior reporter Richie Davis has worked at the Greenfield Recorder for more than 35 years. He can be reached at rdavis@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 269.